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<title>there is something after all by cookiescraems</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23630362">there is something after all</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cookiescraems/pseuds/cookiescraems'>cookiescraems</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Black Friday - Team StarKid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Bands, Alternate Universe - High School, Exes, F/M, Light Angst, i don't know shit about high school bands and it shows so please excuse me</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:35:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,163</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23630362</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cookiescraems/pseuds/cookiescraems</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Damn, it was really a surprise. I mean, you and Ethan were like reaaaaalllllyyyyy close. Like really close. God, it really stumped me that you broke up. But, like, not as much as when we found out you’re dating. Remember, Deb? I mean, no offense, Lex, you have the emotional capacity of a brick.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lex Foster/Ethan Green</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>there is something after all</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>request by anon on tumblr: band!au, exes, and "you have the emotional capacity of a brick" for whatever character/ship you want</p>
<p>the title is from starry: a musical</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>     How did Lex even get here? How did Lex agree to Mr. Houston’s pleadings to get into an extracurricular activity then get into a band with Grace Chastity of all people then holding up auditions then having to watch your ex-boyfriend audition in front of you?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Damn, her life sucks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “You okay, Lex?” asked Grace, looking over to her with genuine concern.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Shut up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     A fellow band mate shushed them both as their band teacher slash director motioned Ethan </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking </span>
  </em>
  <span>Green to start. Lex was about to bite back at that bandmate but Ethan’s piano playing cut her off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Oh, God,” she groaned to herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>     Please mess up. Please mess up.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     (Granted, he did look good playing the piano </span>
  <span>— </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shut up!</span>
  </em>
  <span>)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>     Please mess up. Please mess up.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     (He’s playing the piece he always played to calm her down — </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shut. Up.</span>
  </em>
  <span>)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>     Please mess up. Please mess up.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     (Lex wondered if he’s thinking of her right now — Nope. No.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>     Please mess up. Please mess up.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     (It’s finally her favorite part of the song. A small aching started to seep in her chest.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>     Please mess up. Please! Mess up.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     (Ethan only played the piano so often, but he loved playing it more and more when he found out it made her and Hannah happy. But mostly, her. Lex Foster, the ex-girlfriend.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>     Why are you not messing up?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     (Lex knows there’s a huge chance their band teacher will like Ethan and he’ll get in.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>     Forget a bar. Play that shit pop song you always play to piss me off. Just stop!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     (But the teeny tiny selfish bit of her is really growing and winning and don’t want him in the band. Because if he does get in the band, it means they’re bandmates.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>     Fucking hell!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     (And if they’re bandmates, then that means they’ll be spending a whole lot of time together.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>     I hate this. I fucking hate this.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     (A whole. Lot. Of time. Together.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>     Yup, yup, yup, I need a cigarette. Jesus Christ.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     (She didn’t want that.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>     Cigarette, cigarette, cigarette, cigarette, cigarette, cigarette!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     (Truth be told, Lex hasn’t gotten over their breakup yet.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>     Not now, not ever probably.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     The final notes. The song has ended.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Lex looked back up at the stage. He still hasn’t changed. Same jacket, same fucked up hair, same plaid shirt, same black boots, same everything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     God, what the fuck is she on about?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Of course, things would barely change; they only have broken up for five weeks!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     And of course, five weeks still feel a little bit too fresh in her mind and in her heart and without her even knowing it, her eyes started forming tears. Nope, no, not happening. Not here in this stupid gym with all these stupid losers! And definitely not when Ethan Green has a clear view of her almost crying, no fucking way!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Hey, you okay, Lex?” Deb asked, tapping her shoulder from behind her. “You seem a bit emotional there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Lex almost forgot that The Smoke Club were just here for moral support. That and also because they don’t wanna join classes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Before Lex could answer, another Smoke Club kid cut her off, “Oh, dip! Didn’t you and Ethan broke up weeks ago?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Lex sighed. “Yes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Damn, it was really a surprise. I mean, you and Ethan were like reaaaaalllllyyyyy close. Like really close. God, it really stumped me that you broke up. But, like, not as much as when we found out you’re dating. Remember, Deb? I mean, no offense, Lex, </span>
  <b>you have the emotional capacity of a brick.</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Fuck off,” Lex growled at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Smoke Club Kid raised his arms up in surrender. “Alright, alright, I get it, I get it. Ya’ll are still not cool, I get it.” But then he mumbled to Deb in a sing-song voice, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Drama…</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Dude, shut up!” Deb flicked his ear in annoyance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Ow!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Alright, everyone, listen up!” Their band teacher grabbed the microphone and her voice boomed over the speakers. “Thank you so much to all who auditioned. We’ll be posting the list within this week...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Her voice was drowned out. It didn’t matter anyway. Lex’s eyes were on Ethan again. Every inside of her body felt hollow and lonely. Ethan turned to her; Lex turned back to their band teacher.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “... Band members, please remain and clean up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Lex groaned out loud dismally along with her other bandmates. She was supposed to pick up Hannah. They were gonna go for ice cream later. Cliche, but Lex was not the only one disappointed with the breakup.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Deb patted her back in encouragement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Lex started stacking chairs. “Why did I agree to do this again?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “To pass school?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Lex carried the weight of an average sized tower of chairs in her arms with her face all crumpled up. “Right.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Deb gave her a smile. “We’ll be outside when you’re done.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Thanks.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Lex sighed. She’s so tired. She really just wanna get out of here, get Hannah, get that ice cream, then get to bed. Whoever said extracurricular activity is fun and fulfilling owes her a hundred bucks and a month’s worth of sleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Miss Foster! Get a move on if you wanna go home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Rolling her eyes, she steeled herself to carry the stack of chairs to the storage room. Stupid gym and its stupid chairs. The weight of the chairs started crumbling on her arms and she’s stumbling and she’s falling and she’s —</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     She’s still standing!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>     Okay?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     The weight of the chairs felt lighter now. Lex looked to see Ethan holding it up from the other side. Her heart stopped beating. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Ethan placed the chairs along with the others against the wall. Lex started panicking. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Run, run, run! </span>
  </em>
  <span>He turned back. Lex couldn’t breathe again. They were just staring at each other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Lex was right. Five weeks didn’t make much of a difference. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     He smiled. “Hey.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Hi.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     He quickly mumbled a goodbye and left.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Lex finally let herself breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     God, she misses him so much. And, unfortunately, she wished that he does too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “I’m just saying,” said Smoke Club kid sliding up to her, “you two can still get it on! There's still a chance!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     With a hard look on her face, Lex flicked his face away. She walked away with her bag slung over her shoulder and walked out of the gymnasium.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Finally! That was over. She can finally pick up Hannah and they’ll go on their weekly trips to get ice cream and hang out in the park and just talk before getting home to that hellhole of a house —</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     She froze. Ethan was right up ahead of her, walking out of the school and out of her line of sight. He didn’t even notice her or anything and that really caused her insides to twist in pain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Five weeks have passed since they broke up. There’s only so many months left before school ends. Lex is sure as hell he’ll get in the band. She sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     This is gonna be a long year.  </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you all so so much for reading it!! not really my best writing but yeah lol but thank you to the anon who requested it!! also please excuse my incredible lack of knowledge of high school bands (they're not that really popular in my country lmao)</p>
<p>feel free to make a writing request from this prompt list https://jane-kyrie.tumblr.com/post/614850919272710144/au-trope-prompt-game on my tumblr: jane-kyrie.tumblr.com! or just feel free to follow or to talk to me!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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